Technique Time: How to Make Easy Vegetable Ribbons

All you need for pretty vegetable ribbons is a peeler. Oh, and vegetables: Zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, parsnips, cucumbers--basically any vegetable that has the shape to become long strips is a good candidate.

Illustration by Claudia Pearson

1. Trim the ends and peel the vegetable if needed.

2. Peel the flesh lengthwise, using a little pressure to make 1 ⁄16 -inch-thick ribbons (thin enough to fold nicely but thick enough not to break).

3. Blanch, if desired (cook for about 1 minute in boiling salted water, then rinse with cold water). But raw is nice, too!

Add vegetable ribbons to pastas or turn them into a salad like in the recipes below.